1
Apply for Your VA Education Benefits
To use your VA education benefits, you need to apply with the Veteran’s Online Application on the Veterans Affairs website.
VA Education Benefits Checklist
Navigating higher education can be challenging for any student. It can be especially challenging for students using VA education benefits. That's why we're here to help. Whether you're a first-year student, transfer student, undergraduate or graduate student, our checklist provides you with step-by-step directions to follow when using your VA education benefits at CU.
You’ll start by confirming that your program is approved by the VA, applying to CU Denver and being admitted, and end with submitting our certification request. And, anywhere you run into trouble throughout the process, or have additional questions, your VMSS staff is always ready to assist you at VMSS@ucdenver.edu.
Complete this checklist if using the following benefits:
- Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 30)
- Post 9-11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)
- Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
- Vocational Rehab (Chapter 31)
- Survivors and Dependents Assistance (Chapter 35)
- Reserve Educational Program - REAP (Chapter 1607)
Looking for Tuition Assistance? Skip the checklist and start here instead.
2
Apply to CU Denver and be Admitted
The VA requires that all prior credit be evaluated and military members must submit their military transcripts which can take as long as three weeks to three months to be received and evaluated. Submit your (JST) Joint Services Transcript (for all branches except Air Force) or (CCAF) Community College of the Air Force Transcripts to be evaluated. Some military-connected applicants will be required to submit additional forms when they apply, so be prepared to submit your DD214, if applicable.
Ensure your academic program is approved for VA Educational benefits by visiting WEAMS.
3
Submit Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
By completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you could be eligible for grants, loans, and scholarships. Grants are money given to students from the Federal Government based on financial need and does not need to be paid back. Loans are money that students can borrow, but must be repaid. Scholarships are money that students compete for and do not need to be repaid.
The FAFSA should be filled out annually, ideally in October when it opens, and will use your tax return information from two years ago.
COF Authorization/Review (Undergrads Only): Select Authorized or Decline COF. It is recommended you select Lifetime Authorization so that funds are automatically applied each semester and only needs to be selected once.
4
Register for and Attend Orientation
Orientation is a requirement for both first-year and transfer undergraduate students. In addition to your campus orientation session, Veteran and Military Student Services staff is available to answer your questions by contacting us at VMSS@ucdenver.edu or setting up a New Student Benefit Brief. CU Denver students should check in with New Student Orientation for orientation details and dates for their school, college, or program.
Orientation options for graduate students are handled differently in each school, college, or program. Graduate School staff is available to help students learn which orientation requirements apply to them.
Orientation options for graduate students are handled differently in each school, college, or program. Graduate School staff is available to help students learn which orientation requirements apply to them.
5
Register and Enroll in Classes
To have the best chance of getting the courses you need for your program, you should register/enroll for classes through your student portal as soon as possible. Keep close track of the credit hours you’re taking each semester. Your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is based on what the VA recognizes as a full-time student.
Undergraduate students: 12 credits throughout a traditional 15-16 week semesters are considered full-time. Graduate students: 5 credits throughout a traditional 15-16 week semester are considered full-time. If you take fewer than full-time credits, your BAH will be prorated.
It’s important to be sure the courses you’re enrolled in are required for your degree program. If they’re not required, the VA will not approve for certification. Students who take courses outside of their program will be responsible for those tuition and fees, so be sure to confirm that courses are required by running a degree audit or contacting your advisor.
Students in some programs can expect that their benefits will be delayed because they can’t enroll until two weeks to two months prior to the start of the semester. Since the Certification verification and submission process can’t begin until after the student is enrolled, students in the XMBA, One Year MBA, and Global Energy Management (GEM) programs should plan ahead for the delay.
6
Submit Your Certification Request
The Certification Request is what CU Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus Veteran and Military Student Services uses to track and submit your information to the VA. This must be completed every semester that you want to use your VA Education benefits. Please submit your certification request form prior to the start of the semester to allow for processing time.
If you make any enrollment changes after you’ve submitted your certification request form, please contact our office as soon as possible. Failure to do so may result in VA debt. When emailing our office please include your full name and student ID#.
If your benefits end in the middle of a semester, please contact our office and the VA as soon as possible to discuss whether all your courses will be covered or not. Per VA policy, enrollment sessions with differing dates must be certified separately. This can affect your final semester and/or your housing stipend.
Benefit-Specific Requirements, Details, and Documents
CU Denver Land Acknowledgement
Acknowledging that we reside in the homelands of Indigenous Peoples is an important step in recognizing the history and the original stewards of these lands. Land acknowledgments must extend far beyond words, the United States has worked hard to erase the narratives of Indigenous Peoples over time. Land acknowledgment statements can help to remind us of the history, the contributions and the sacrifices Native peoples have made.
We honor and acknowledge that we are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute nations. This area, specifically the confluence of the Platte and Cherry Creek Rivers was the epicenter for trade, information sharing, planning for the future, community, family and ally building, as well as conducting healing ceremonies for over 45 Indigenous Nations, including the Lakota, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Shoshone, Paiute, Zuni, Hopi among others.
We must recognize Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of this land and as these words of acknowledgment are spoken and heard, remember the ties these nations still have to their traditional homelands. Let us acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory and pay our respect to the diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land. Let us also give thanks to all Tribal Nations and the ancestors of this place.
Gracie RedShirt Tyon, Lakota, Director, American Indian Student Services
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)